Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bolton have all been slapped with immediate transfer bans after breaking Financial Fair Play rules during the 2014-15 campaign.

Fulham and Nottingham Forest were sanctioned after exceeding an adjusted loss of £6million - the maximum rules allow - while Bolton were punished after being unable to submit their FFP return owing to their current off-field situation which has seen them served with a winding-up petition by HMRC over an unpaid tax bill.

The punishment means that all three Championship clubs will be unable to sign players in next month's transfer window.

Bolton (pictured) are one of three current Championship clubs to have been slapped with a transfer ban

Bolton manager Neil Lennon will be unable to add to his struggling squad until the end of the season

Last season's Championship winners Bournemouth also posted losses of more than £6million and will face a fine, the amount of which is yet to be revealed.

Millwall, who were relegated to League One last term, also went over the maximum deviation of losses, but will not be punished.

A Football League statement read: 'An initial analysis of Financial Fair Play submissions from clubs that played in the Sky Bet Championship last season has resulted in three clubs being subject to sanctions, under rules agreed with league clubs in April 2012.

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'All three exceeded the maximum permitted deviation of £6m - consisting of a maximum adjusted loss of £3m plus a further maximum of £3m of shareholder investment.

'Champions AFC Bournemouth will face a financial sanction to be finalised in due course, while Fulham and Nottingham Forest will be subject to an "FFP embargo" for the remainder of the current campaign. Both clubs will have the opportunity to have their FFP embargo lifted at the end of the season by demonstrating that they have stayed within the maximum permitted deviation of £13m (£5m loss plus £8m shareholder investment) for the 2015/16 season.

'A further club, Millwall, also exceeded the maximum permitted deviation but will not face any further sanction, in line with Championship FFP regulations, following the club's relegation to League One as it was not deemed to have gained any significant advantage.

Slavisa Jokanovic is favourite to take over as Fulham manager, but he would be unable to sign players

Jokanovic celebrates with Heurelho Gomes after guiding Watford to Premier League promotion last season

'The Football League is currently in discussions with a number of other clubs over their FFP submissions and will confirm any further FFP embargoes, if any, in due course.

'Bolton Wanderers did not submit an FFP return owing to the club's ongoing financial difficulties. As a result, the club will not be permitted to sign any players until it has complied with its obligations under the Championship's FFP regulations.'

The transfer ban is yet another blow for Championship strugglers Bolton, who are already in financial ruin at the bottom of the second tier.

The club have been unable to pay their players in the lead-up to Christmas, although it was revealed last week that the Professional Footballers' Association will contribute a large chunk of wages before the end of December.

The club are also exploring the possibility of leasing their assets in a bid to raise cash quickly, while they search for a buyer continues.

Nottingham Forest, whose City Ground stadium is pictured, have also been slapped with a transfer ban

Long-term backer Eddie Davies withdrew his support for the Lancashire club last month.

A number of different parties are interested in taking over, but progress has stagnated - even though Davies is willing to wipe out an eye-watering £185million debt.

In a statement on the club's website, Finance Director Anthony Massey said of the transfer ban: 'The club were unable to submit an FFP return to The Football League.

'The board have been unable to sign off the annual report and accounts for the financial year ending 30 June 2015 during the current financial difficulties the club are experiencing.

'This is especially disappointing as, based on our draft financial results for the year ended 30 June 2015, we believe we would have achieved FFP.

Bournemouth, promoted as Championship winners, are facing a fine after posting losses of over £6million

'Until both the short and longer term funding issues the club are currently facing are resolved, the directors will not be in a position to sign the accounts.'

Fulham also took to their website to confirm the news of their ban, which will see them unable to sign players until the summer.

They did, though, reassure fans by insisting a similar situation is unlikely to reoccur.

'The embargo arises as the Club made an adjusted loss greater than the £6m limit allowed by the Football League in the year following relegation,' the statement reads.

'The Football League has since recognised this limit is low, especially for clubs recently relegated with Premier League overheads in place, and the limit has now increased to £13m per annum.

'Unfortunately Fulham's embargo falls in the final year of the previous limit, but the Club does not anticipate being in breach in future years.'